Hydration system and method thereof

ABSTRACT

A communicative water bottle includes communication logic and wireless transmission logic technology electronically connected with a variety of sensors either on the water bottle or located remote from the water bottle. The sensors on the bottle create digital data associated with amount of fluid in the bottle and change thereof. The sensors remote from the bottle, which can be on an activity tracker, create digital data associated with an activity being performed by a user, such as running, or the absence of activity, such as remaining sedentary. A display on the bottle can indicate to the user the amount of fluid consumed or a reminder that fluid should be consumed. The fluid consumption data syncs with other remote devices such as mobile applications executable on smartphones.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 15/691,144, filed on Aug. 30, 2017, which is a continuationapplication of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/657,300, filed onMar. 13, 2015, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,792,409. Each of the aboveapplications are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND Technical Field

The present disclosure relates generally to the field of health trackingand monitoring devices. More particularly, the present disclosurerelates to water bottles used in the health tracking industry.Specifically, the present disclosure relates to water bottles thattransmit information of the amount of water or fluid consumed therefromto a remote health tracking device and conveying that information to auser.

Background Information

Proper hydration is an integral aspect of human well-being. Waterconsumption is the primary way humans hydrate themselves. Often, peoplewill carry around water bottles with them so they can hydrate on-the-gowhen they may not be near a water source.

Water bottles ordinarily include delineations thereon to indicate theamount of fluid contained in the bottle. Other water bottles may includedigital representation of the amount of water contained in the bottleand consumed therefrom. One such exemplary digital water bottle iscommercially available for sale under the name. of California. Accordingto HydraCoach, their intelligent water bottle is an interactive fluidmeasurement device that automatically calculates, monitors and providesinstant feedback on fluid consumption for athletes, amongst others.Determined by a user's weight and duration of exercise, the Hydracoachdigital water bottle will generate a personal hydration goal for theday.

Shifting focus now to personal health tracking monitors (also known as“activity trackers”), they are exploding in popularity amongstindividuals desiring to monitor many aspects of their daily healthroutine. Some exemplary personal health tracking monitors/devices are:Fitbit Surge and Fitbit Charge by Fitbit, Inc.; iWatch by Apple, Inc.;and Up and UP24 by Jawbone. Additionally, some smartphone applicationsoperate as activity trackers, and some are even configured to sync withthe aforementioned monitors/devices. Some exemplary smartphoneapplications are MyFitnessPal by MyFitnessPal, Inc. and RunKeeper byFitnessKeeper, Inc. Further, some of the heath tracking device companieshave their own smartphone applications that collect and displayinformation obtained from their device.

In these above referenced health monitoring mobile applications, thereis often a line item entry for hydration (i.e., amount of waterconsumed). These mobile applications require the user to manually enterthe amount of water they consume.

SUMMARY

Issues continue to exist with activity trackers and health monitoringmobile applications inasmuch as they require the manual entry ofhydration information. A need continues to exist for a water bottlehaving the ability to calculate an amount of water consumed therefrom todirectly sync with a remote device such as an activity tracker (e.g.,Fitbit Surge, iWatch, or UP24, amongst many others) or a smartphone(e.g., iPhone) running a mobile health application. The presentdisclosure addresses these and other issues.

In one aspect, an embodiment may provide a communicative sports waterbottle comprising: a bottle body having a base and an upwardly extendingsidewall therein defining a fluid chamber; a sensor determining one ormore of the following an amount of fluid in the fluid chamber, an amountof fluid being dispensed from the fluid chamber, and a physical movementof the bottle body; fluid information logic electronically coupled withthe sensor creating digital data associated with fluid in the chamber;and data transmission and reception logic configured to send the digitaldata to a remote device and receive digital data from the remote device.

In another aspect, an embodiment may provide a method for displayingfluid consumption by a human comprising the steps of: displaying dataassociated with a first amount of fluid within a communicative bottle ina display; adjusting the amount of fluid in the communicative bottle byone of the following (a) dispensing fluid from the bottle and (b) addingfluid to the bottle; sensing the amount of adjusted fluid with a firstsensor to create data associated with a second amount of fluid; andwirelessly sending data associated with the second amount of fluid to aremote device.

In another aspect, an embodiment may provide, in combination, a wearablehealth activity tracker including wireless communication logic and awater bottle including wireless communication logic, wherein theactivity tracker and water bottle sync to one another to therebetweentransfer data associated with fluid consumption by a user, the waterbottle comprising: a bottle body having a base and an upwardly extendingsidewall therein defining a fluid chamber. This embodiment may alsoinclude a software application executable on a mobile computing devicedisplaying digital data associated with one of the following: an amountof fluid in the chamber, an amount of fluid dispensed from the chamber,an amount of time since fluid was last dispensed from the chamber, anamount of fluid dispensed over a given time period, a remindernotification if fluid has not been dispensed over a given time period, areminder to consume an adjusted amount of fluid based, at least in part,on activity information obtained from the health tracking device.Additionally, this embodiment can include fluid consumption instructionsfor increased consumption by the user from the remote device to thebottle for display thereon when a second sensor, located on the remotedevice, detects one of the following an increase in physical activity bythe user and an absence of drinking activity over a certain time periodby the user.

In another aspect, the disclosure may provide a communicative waterbottle that includes communication logic and wireless transmission logictechnology electronically connected with a variety of sensors either onthe water bottle or located remote from the water bottle. The sensors onthe bottle create digital data associated with amount of fluid in thebottle and change thereof. The sensors remote from the bottle, which canbe on an activity tracker, create digital data associated with anactivity being performed by a user, such as running, or the absence ofactivity, such as remaining sedentary. A display on the bottle canindicate to the user the amount of fluid consumed or a reminder thatfluid should be consumed. The fluid consumption data syncs with otherremote devices such as mobile applications executable on smartphones.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

A sample embodiment of the disclosure is set forth in the followingdescription, is shown in the drawings and is particularly and distinctlypointed out and set forth in the appended claims. The accompanyingdrawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of thespecification, illustrate various example methods, and other exampleembodiments of various aspects of the disclosure. It will be appreciatedthat the illustrated element boundaries (e.g., boxes, groups of boxes,or other shapes) in the figures represent one example of the boundaries.One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that in some examplesone element may be designed as multiple elements or that multipleelements may be designed as one element. In some examples, an elementshown as an internal component of another element may be implemented asan external component and vice versa. Furthermore, elements may not bedrawn to scale.

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic representation of a communicative bottle of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 2 is an exemplary display of a OSI seven layer model; and

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic representation of the communicative bottle ofthe present disclosure connecting to either one of a remote activitytracking device or a mobile application executable on a smart phone viaa network.

Similar numbers refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As depicted in FIG. 1, a communicative sports water bottle 10 of thepresent disclosure provides an improved way to communicate an amount offluid (e.g., water) consumed by a person or otherwise dispensed over thecourse of a set time period. Further, bottle 10 provides an improved wayto communicate the absence of fluid consumption (e.g., if a person isnot drinking enough).

Sports water bottle 10 comprises a sports bottle body 12 having a base14 and an upwardly extending generally rigid sidewall 16 thereindefining a fluid chamber 18. Water bottle 10 further comprises a sensor20 determining an amount of fluid 22 in the fluid chamber 18. Base 14 isa generally circular in shape when viewed from above and may include aslight apex at the center creating a generally dome formation, howeverit is not necessary. Sidewall 16 forms a rigid connection with base 14extending upwardly therefrom. Sidewall 16 includes an outwardly facingouter surface and an inwardly facing inner surface. Inner surface ofsidewall 16 defines a portion of chamber 18.

Bottle 10 further comprises fluid information logic 24 electronicallycoupled with the sensor 20 creating digital data associated with fluid22 in the chamber 18. Bottle 10 may further comprise data transmissionlogic 26 configured to send the digital data to a remote device 28. Thedigital data may be displayed on a display 21.

“Logic”, as used herein, includes but is not limited to hardware,firmware, software and/or combinations of each to perform a referencedfunction(s) or an action(s), and/or to cause a function or action fromanother logic, method, and/or system. For example, based on a desiredapplication or needs, logic may include a software controlledmicroprocessor, discrete logic like a processor (e.g., microprocessor),an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmed logicdevice, a memory device containing instructions, an electric devicehaving a memory, or the like. Logic may include one or more gates,combinations of gates, arrays, or other circuit components. Logic mayalso be fully embodied as software. Where multiple logics are described,it may be possible to incorporate the multiple logics into one physicallogic. Similarly, where a single logic is described, it may be possibleto distribute that single logic between multiple physical logics.

Water bottle 10 may further include a cap 30 repeatably attachable anddetachable from the sports bottle body 12. In one embodiment, a sensor20A may be located on or within the cap 30. Alternatively, a sensor 20Bmay be located on or integrally in the sports water bottle body 12.Sensors 20A and 20B may be similar to sensor 20 made reference to aboveand described in further detail below. Further, bottle 10 may include anindicator display 21 on the bottle body displaying the digital dataassociated with the fluid in the chamber. Indicator can also communicateto the user the time elapsed since the last consumption of fluid.

Cap 30 and body 12 may be formed substantially from a BPA-free material.Alternatively, cap 30 and body 12 may be constructed from anotherdishwasher safe material, such as stainless steel. Furthermore, themanner in which cap 30 is selectively released from engagement with body12 can vary as one having ordinary skill in the art would understand.Cap 30 may threadedly attach and release from body 12 or may fit withinthe upper end of chamber 18 with a frictional interference fit includinga sealing gasket. Further, cap 30 may include a nozzle permitting fluid22 to flow therethrough.

The aforementioned electrical components of bottle 10 (i.e., the sensor20, the display 21, the fluid information logic 24, and the transmissionlogic 26) may be powered by a rechargeable battery as one in the arteasily understands. Furthermore, the battery and the electricalcomponents powered therefrom may be constructed to be repeatablydetached and attached to bottle 10 to allow for cleaning of bottle 10without disturbing the electrical system which would may be damaged ifcontacted by water during washing and cleaning. While not shown, it iscontemplated that the electrical components can be carried by a housingthat nests within a recessed formed in body 12 facilitating the easyremoval during cleaning.

As depicted in FIG. 2, communicative sports bottle 10 may be used incombination with or include logic operable in one of, some of, or allseven layers of the Open Systems Interconnection model (OSI). The OSImodel is a conceptual model that characterizes and standardizes theinternal functions of a communication system by partitioning said systeminto abstraction layers. The model is a product of the Open SystemsInterconnection project at the International Organization forStandardization (ISO), maintained by the identification ISO/IEC 7498-1.

The OSI modeling 200 includes a physical layer 202, a data link layer204, a network layer 206, a transport layer 208, a session layer 210, apresentation layer 212, and an application layer 214. In one exemplaryembodiment sports water bottle 10, the sensor 20A or 20B operates in oneof the physical and data link layers 202, 204, respectively, or also thenetwork layer 206. In another exemplary embodiment, the datatransmission logic 26 operates in one of the physical 202, data link204, network 206, transport 208, and session 210 layers. In anotherexemplary embodiment, the fluid information logic operates in one of thephysical 202, data link 204, network 206, transport 208, session 210,presentation 212, and application 214 layers.

As depicted in FIG. 3, the communicative sports water bottle 10 is usedin combination 300 with one of a remote electronic health trackingdevice 28 (e.g., a Fitbit, an iWatch, or an UP24) and a mobileapplication 32 (e.g. MyFitnessPal) executable on a smartphone 34 (e.g.,iPhone) and communication between devices occurs across network 31. Thehealth tracking device 28 may further include a digital display 36. Bothdevice 28 and mobile application 32 operate in one of the session,presentation, and application layers, 210, 212, and 214, respectively.Either one of device 28 and mobile app 32 display information associatedwith one or more of the following: an amount of fluid in the chamber, anamount of fluid dispensed from the chamber, an amount of time sincefluid was last dispensed from the chamber, an amount of fluid dispensedover a given time period, and a reminder notification if fluid has notbeen dispensed over a given time period.

The fluid information logic 24 and data transmission logic 26communicate with one of the remote devices (either device 28 or app 32on smartphone 34) over network 31. The network 31 connectivityelectronically couples the communicative sports water bottle 10 and theremote electronic health tracking device 28, wherein in the networkconnectivity is selected from a group comprising of: Bluetoothconnection, wireless internet connection, wired internet connection,internet, and 3G/4G connection.

In operation, bottle 10 initiates data collection of water consumptionthrough a plurality of triggers. One of the sensors 20 may include adetectable motion intensity signature. This motion intensity signaturemay be detected by the movement of bottle 10. An input to a triggeralgorithm may come directly or indirectly from the sensor output. Forexample, the input may be direct output from an accelerometer or it maybe processed accelerometer output. One exemplary trigger can be thelifting of the bottle 10 to activate the fluid information logic 24which then initiates the sensor 20 to detect how much fluid or water isleaving the bottle 10.

Some movement of bottle 10 is considered activity associated withdifferent levels of motion detected by a motion sensor of on bottle 10carried by a user. In some conditions, a user grasps bottle 10 in amoving activity and drinks some of the fluid contained therein. In suchconditions, the motion intensity detected by the motion sensor caninitiate a data collection sequence by sensors coupled with fluidinformation logic or purposefully not initiate data collection. Forexample, repeated or rhythmic swaying of the bottle can be programmed(such as when clipped to a back pack or held in a hand while walking) tonot initiate the data collection.

In operation, and during consumption, sensors 20 on bottle 10 maydetermine the rate of fluid exiting bottle 10 using a flow meter in cap30. The flow-type sensors can measure fluid moving therethrough. Someexemplary manners of measuring fluid flow include determining bysignal-to-noise ratio, signal norms, signal energy/power in certainfrequency bands, wavelet scale parameters, and/or a number of samplesexceeding one or more thresholds.

In other embodiments, accelerometer output power is used to determinedifferent rates and amounts of fluid exiting bottle, where the rate offluid leaving is calculated as a sum of accelerometer amplitude values(or amplitude squared values) relative to an exit orifice area. In someembodiments, data from one axis, or two axes, or three axes of one ormore motion sensor may be used to determine the motion intensity. Insome embodiments, data from one axis are used for further analyses whenthe signal is relatively high, while data from two or more axis are usedfor further analyses when the signal is relatively low.

In some embodiments, in addition to or instead of real time or near realtime motion sensor data, previously processed and/or stored sensorinformation may be used to determine any one of the following an amountof fluid in the chamber, an amount of fluid dispensed from the chamber,an amount of time since fluid was last dispensed from the chamber, anamount of fluid dispensed over a given time period, and a remindernotification if fluid has not been dispensed over a given time period.

In some embodiments, information collected from sensors may include arecord of information for a previous period (e.g., 1, 2, or 3 days to 6,7 or 8 days) at a fixed time interval (e.g., once per minute; once perhalf hour; once per hour). Bottle 10 may further include artificialintelligence capable of learning such that digital information may beused to detect behavior signatures from the prior information, which maythen be used to predict the likelihood of a subject has certain activitylevels at the present time. Some embodiments use one or more classifiersor other algorithm to combine inputs from multiple sources (e.g.,accelerometer power and minutely recorded data) and to determine theprobability that the user is engaged in an activity with certaincharacteristics.

For instance, if a user tends to be drinking more frequently in themorning or during a meal but working and not drinking in the afternoon,the prior motion related data on the bottle will show data patternreflecting the user's tendency, which tendency can be used by the bottlein a classifier connected to a computer or smartphone through thenetwork to determine that the user is likely drinking water from bottle10 with breakfast in the morning.

In operation, bottle 10 may include sensors located different positionsalong the bottle body or in the cap. With each sensor on bottle 10,placement-specific algorithms are run in order to estimate one of anamount of fluid in the chamber, an amount of fluid dispensed from thechamber, an amount of time since fluid was last dispensed from thechamber, an amount of fluid dispensed over a given time period, and areminder notification if fluid has not been dispensed over a given timeperiod. Adaptive filtering techniques may be used to cancel outexcessive movements of the bottle (such as if bottle is being carried ina backpack).

A motion mode may be activated when the motion level is within a certainrange. In the case of a sensor integrated into the cap, there may bethree different motion level ranges corresponding to three modes; activemode, fluid movement mode, and inactive mode. The algorithmicdeterminations of and the transitions between the modes, which enablefluid measurement in a continuous manner. It should be noted that thethree mode approach described herein is for illustration, and is not alimitation of the present disclosures. There may be fewer modes (e.g.,active and not active) or greater than 3 modes.

In some embodiments, algorithms operating in the frequency domain areused to determine the number of times (i.e., the frequency) a personconsumes fluid over a period of time. One problem people tend to have isthat they do not drink enough water over the course of a day, especiallypeople who exercise more frequently or those that need more waterconsumption (such as pregnant women). Frequency logic contained withinthe fluid information logic 24 counts the number of times a person isdrinking per day or per hour and how much fluid is consumed within agiven period. By way of non-limiting example, if a pregnant womanhypothetically needs to drink about 12 ounces of water every hour,frequency logic initiates and tracks the hourly time intervals ensuringthat the required intake is met by the user.

In some implementations, bottle 10 may include one or more vibramotors(also referred to herein as “vibrators” or simply as “vibratingdevices”) for communicating information with or to the user. Forexample, the processing unit fluid information logic 24 or transmissionlogic 26 can utilize the vibramotors to communicate one or more alarms,achieved goals, progress indicators, inactivity indicators, reminders,indications that a timer has expired, or other indicators, feedback ornotifications to a user holding or drinking from bottle 10. In some suchimplementations, the bottle 10 can utilize the vibramotors tocommunicate such information to the user in addition to communicatingthe same or similar information via the display, the lights, or thesound-producing devices. In some other such implementations, the bottle10 can utilize the vibramotors to communicate such information to theuser instead of or in lieu of communicating the same or similarinformation via the display, the lights, or the sound-producing devices.For example, in the case of an alarm when it is time to consume water(for example if the frequency logic determines that a pregnant woman hasnot consumed 12 ounces of water in the past hour), the vibramotors cancause the bottle 10 to vibrate to alert the user. As another example, inthe case of a goal-achievement or progress indicator, the vibramotorscan cause the bottle 10 to vibrate to alert the user that the user'sgoal has been achieved or that a milestone or other progress point enroute to the goal has been reached without requiring the user to look ata display or hear an indication output from a speaker. In someimplementations, a user can define one or more custom vibration patternsor other vibrational characteristics and assign such differing vibrationpatterns or other vibrational characteristics to different alarms,goals, or other vibrating indicators so that the user can distinguishamong the vibrating indicators to determine what information is beingcommunicated by the bottle 10. In various implementations, the user cancustomize such patterns, characteristics, or settings or make suchselections via the user interface, or via an application or program(including a web application, mobile application, or client-sidesoftware program) executing on an external computing device (forexample, a personal computer, smartphone or multimedia device)communicatively coupled with the portable monitoring device via the I/Ointerface and one or more wired or wireless connections or networks.

In some implementations, as described above, one or more of the sensors20 themselves also can be used to implement at least a portion of theuser interface. For example, one or more accelerometers or other motionsensors 20 can be used to detect when a person taps the body of bottle10 with a finger or other object, and then interpret such data as a userinput for the purposes of controlling the bottle 10. For example,double-tapping the body 12 of bottle 10 may be recognized by the fluidinformation logic 24 as a user input that will cause a display of thebottle 10 to turn on from an off state or that will cause the bottle 10to transition between different monitoring states, sessions, or modes.

In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, bottle 10 has ashape and size that is adapted to be handled or carried by a user.Bottle 10 collects one or more types of fluid data from embedded sensorsand/or external devices and communicates or relays such information toother devices or other internet-viewable sources. Notably, the bottlecollects data regarding fluid consumed from bottle 10 over a timeperiod, or the absence of consumption over that time period. In oneexample, the user carrying bottle 10 around with them during the courseof a day. A display on the bottle can show the user how much fluid isinside the bottle, how much fluid has been consumed since the user wokeup that day, or how much fluid has been consumed in the past hour.Additionally, bottle 10 can sync with a remote activity device 28 anddetermine how much fluid should be consumed based on the activity beingperformed. For example, if a user is wearing a Fitbit (remote device 28)and the Fitbit knows that a user is running, then water bottle 10 canadjust the consumption requirements for that activity. Furthermore,bottle 10 can even further adjust the consumption requirements of fluidbased on the activity and the user's biometrics (i.e., weight, gender,age). The consumption data or alerts may then be transmitted anddisplayed to the user.

In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, bottle 10may communicate to a user how much fluid needs to be consumed based onan activity level being performed during or over a given time period.For example, bottle 10 communicates with a remote activity device 28,such as a Fitbit. Fitbit device 28 learns and understands increases inactivity by the person as the device 28 is carried or worn by a user. Sofor example, a predominately stationary or sedentary person may onlyneed to consume about 64 ounces of water a day. The device 28communicates the person's sedentary nature to bottle 10 and a firstamount of water (64 ounces) is displayed to the user setting aconsumption goal for the day. However, when the sedentary person decidesto start exercising, the Fitbit device 28 will register and senseincreased physical activity. The physical activity requires more waterconsumption by the user of the water bottle. The water bottle willadjust the amount of water to be consumed based, at least in part, onthe activity and physical exertion performed by the person. So if theperson begins running for a 30 minutes, the bottle will adjust therequired fluid consumption and display a second amount, for example anadditional 32 ounces for a total daily consumption of 96 ounces.Clearly, the actual amounts of the first and second consumption amountsare based on individual biometrics such as age, gender, and weight.

In operation, the data transmission logic 26 communicates consumptiondata received from the fluid information logic 24 coupled with sensors20 via the I/O interface to an external or remote computing device 28 orsmartphone 34 (for example, a personal computer, smartphone ormultimedia device) or to a back-end server over one or more computernetworks. In some implementations, the I/O interface included intransmission logic 26 includes a transmitter and a receiver (alsoreferred to collectively herein as a “transceiver” or simply as“transmitting and receiving circuitry”) that can transmit the activitydata or other information through a wired or wireless connection to oneor more external computing devices or to one or more back-end servers(either directly via one or more networks or indirectly via an externalcomputing device that first receives the activity data and subsequentlycommunicates the data via one or more networks to the back-end servers).In some implementations, the one or more computer networks include oneor more local-area networks (LANs), private networks, social networks,or wide-area networks (WANs) including the Internet. The transmissionlogic 26 includes wireless communication functionality so that when thebottle 10 comes within range of a wireless base station or access point,or within range of certain equipped external computing devices (forexample, a personal computer, smartphone 34 or remote activity device28), certain activity data or other data is automatically synced oruploaded to the external computing device or back-end server for furtheranalysis, processing, viewing, or storing. In various implementations,the wireless communication functionality of I/O interface may beprovided or enabled via one or more communications technologies known inthe art such as, for example, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, RFID, Near-FieldCommunications (NFC), Zigbee, Ant, optical data transmission, amongothers. Additionally or alternatively, the I/O interface also caninclude wired-communication capability, such as, for example, aUniversal Serial Bus (USB) interface.

Some exemplary sensors 20 capable of being electronically coupled withbottle 10 (either integrally on bottle 10 or remotely connected thereto)may include but are not limited to: accelerometers sensing accelerationsexperienced during rotation, translation, velocity/speed, locationtraveled, elevation gained; gyroscopes sensing movements during angularorientation and/or rotation, and rotation; altimeters sensing barometricpressure, altitude change, flights of stairs, climbed, local pressurechanges, submersion in liquid; impellers measuring the amount of fluidpassing thereby; Pulse Oximeter sensing blood oxygen saturation (SpO2),Heart rate variability, stress levels, heart rate, blood volume activeheart rate, resting heart rate, sleeping heart rate, sedentary heartrate, cardiac arrhythmia, cardiac arrest, pulse transit time, heart raterecovery time, and blood volume; Galvanic Skin sensors sensingelectrical conductance of skin, perspiration, stress levels; ResponseSensors sensing exertion/arousal levels; Global Positioning sensorssensing location, elevation, distance traveled, velocity/speed;Electromyography sensors sensing electrical pulses; Muscletension/extension sensors; Audio Sensors sensing local environmentalsound levels, laugh detection, breathing detection, snoring detection,respiration type (snoring, breathing, labored breathing, gasping), voicedetection, typing detection; Photo/Light sensors sensing ambient lightintensity, ambient Day/night, sleep, UV exposure; TV sensors sensinglight wavelength watching, indoor v. outdoor environment; Temperaturesensors sensing body temperature, ambient air temperature, andenvironmental temperature; Respiration rate sensors sensing respirationrate; Sleep apnea detection sensors; Blood Pressure sensors, andMoisture Sensors sensing surrounding moisture levels.

In the case where the data is relayed from a remote/external sensor onremote device 28 to bottle 10, or from a sensor on bottle 10 to either aremote device 28 or smartphone 34, the digital data may indicate to thebottle 10 that the data should be relayed. For example, the datatransmission may contain a code that tells the bottle 10 to relay thedata. In another example, the relay indicator may not be an addenda tothe message, but rather something inherent to the data itself. Forexample, if the data has a certain type of encryption, the encryptiontype may indicate that the bottle 10 should forward the data to acomputing device. Note that being unencrypted may be considered anencryption type. Syncing may occur through wired and/or wirelessconnections including but not limited to USB, Wi-Fi, WiMAX, Mobiletelephony (i.e. cellular networks), Bluetooth, Bluetooth Smart, NFC,RFID, and ANT.

Additionally, bottle 10 may incorporate one or more user interfaceand/or feedback methods such as visual methods, auditory methods, orhaptic methods (such as touch input or vibration). The device maydisplay the state of one or more of the information types availableand/or being tracked. For example, information can be displayedgraphically, or conveyed by the intensity and/or color of one or morelight emitting diodes (LEDs). The user interface may also be used todisplay data from other devices or internet sources. The device may alsoprovide haptic feedback to the user through, for instance, the vibrationof a motor or a change in texture or shape of the device.

In one embodiment, the bottle 10 may not have a display. The device mayinstead communicate information to the user using one of the other userfeedback methods described herein (e.g. one or more LED's, hapticfeedback, audio feedback). In another embodiment, the device may notcommunicate information to the user directly. Instead, the user may viewtheir information on one or more remote computing devices (i.e.,smartphone 34) in direct or indirect communication with the bottle 10.In the case that the communication is indirect, data may be transferredfrom the device to one or more intermediate communication devices (e.g.networks server or nodes) which then forwards the information to thesecondary computing device (remote device 28 or smartphone 34) used toview data. For example, data may be transferred from the device througha smartphone to a server that hosts a website containing the user'sdata.

One example of communications between a portable biometric device,handheld bottle 10 and computing device is illustrated in FIG. 3.Initially the bottle 10 may send a notification signal to notify anynearby handheld activity device 28 or smartphone 34 of its presence.Once an activity device 28 or smartphone 34 receives one of thesealerts, bottle 10 may sync data with the activity device 28 orsmartphone 34. Fluid consumption related data which is sent from bottle10 without an indication that the data should be relayed is displayedand/or stored on a first database on the remote device 28. Data with arelay indication is forwarded onto a computing device where the data isstored in a second database. Relayed data may also be displayed andstored on the bottle 10.

In one particular embodiment, data transmission logic 26 may broadcast anotification signal to remote device 28. The bottle 10 may indicate, inthe notification signal or a characteristic of the notification signal,whether the bottle 10 device seeks (or requests) to sync or establish acommunication link with the remote device 28 through network 31. In thecase that the bottle 10 does not seek to establish a communication linkwith the remote device 28, the bottle 10 may still take action toestablish a communication link and sync or not.

Consumption data created from sensors 20 coupled to fluid informationlogic 24 on bottle 10 may be used by a mobile application, such asMyFitnessPal executed on the portable communication device (e.g. smartphone 34). Users of bottle 10 may have accounts on such applications orservices which allow them to retrieve data relevant to themselves orother users. An account may enable a user to visualize their fluidconsumption data, modify data visualizations, modify or enter additionalor existing data, manage their devices, and/or interact with otherusers. Fluid consumption data synced from the bottle 10 may be used foraccount features including but not limited to a leader board where theuser is ranked compared to other users such as friends, rankings ofmembers of a group of users, and badge awards to reaching various goals,such as meeting or exceeding your consumed fluids for a the day. Theuser account may also automatically provide recommendations to the userso as to help them reach one or more goals including but not limited toincreasing or decreasing their water consumption, weight, body fat, timeasleep, quality of sleep, calorie burn, activity level, resting heartrate, active heart rate, normal heart rate, steps taken, distance walkedand/or run, and floors climbed, all of which can be displayed on thewater bottle display.

These recommendations may aid the user in short term and/or long termgoals. For example, if a user has not been consuming the proper amountof water over the few days or even the last month and has started tohave headaches and other side effects from improper hydration, bottle 10may be recommend to be more water consumption through a notification ondirectly to the display on bottle 10, or to the wearable remote device28, or an health application 32 executable on smartphone 34. On ashorter time scale, a user may be recommended to drink a certain amountof water with dinner if they were did not drink much water earlier inthe day. In order for such short term recommendations to be relevant tothe user's current state, data synced from their device which helpdetermine the recommendation is preferably transferred frequently and/orwhenever there is new data on the device relevant to such arecommendation.

In one embodiment, the bottle 10 and the remote device 28 communicateusing the Bluetooth Smart protocol. The bottle 10 may intermittentlybroadcast one of two UUID's (universally unique identifiers) to theremote device 28 or smartphone 34 which is constantly listening forbroadcasts. The first UUID corresponds to a Bluetooth service which isused to sync new data from the sensor device. This service is configuredto start any programs on the smartphone 34 necessary to sync the newdata from the sensor device. The second UUID corresponds to a Bluetoothservice which is only used when a program on the bottle 10 needs to senddata to the remote device 28 or smartphone 34.

Bottle 10 may monitor its wireless input sources for incoming wirelesspackets and analyze any received packets in order to detect thesmartphone 34 or activity tracker device 28 as the source of theirtransmission and decide whether to sync with the remote device. Thefunction or functions within the bottle 10 that monitors input sourcesfor and analyzes packets may be embedded within the operating system ofthe bottle 10 and/or in an application or applications that are launchedby the operating system of the bottle 10 (i.e., the input monitoringand/or packet analysis functions may be implemented by execution, withinone or more processors of the communications device, of programmedinstructions that form part of the bottle 10 operating system and/orapplication programs). The packet detection functionality may beautomatically launched or executed by the operating system or can beinitiated or directed by the user or users of the bottle 10. If thefunctionality is partially or fully within an application, applicationor applications may be launched automatically by the operating system orlaunched by the user or users of the bottle 10. The packet detectionfunctionality may also be split between the operating system andapplications. The functionality can execute or run in any priority ormode (active, foreground, background, etc.) on any processor within thebottle 10. The functionality can also run simultaneously with otherfunctions on the same bottle 10. If the functionality has already beenlaunched (i.e., implemented through execution of programmedinstructions), the operating system can choose to execute or re-executethe functionality, which might be resident in volatile or non-volatilestorage or memory of the bottle 10.

Listening (monitoring input sources) for incoming packets may be carriedout periodically in order to lower power consumption (e.g., by poweringdown or otherwise disabling signal reception functions during intervalsin which input sources are un-monitored), or continuously in order todecrease the time to detection (“detection latency”). Also, thefrequency of periodic listening events may be varied to balance powerconsumption and the time to detection. During a previous interaction, auser or computer, either directly via input on the display 21 of bottle10 or via a wired or wireless communication mechanism, may specify whichaspects of the contents of a wireless packet or sequence of wirelesspackets should trigger a data sync by the bottle 10. Any single piece ofinformation or combination of the information in a wireless packet orsequence of packets may trigger a data sync after receipt and analysisof the packets. When the sync is triggered, the bottle 10 may start andcomplete the syncing process via functionality that is embedded withinthe operating system of the bottle 10 or via an application that islaunched by the operating system of the bottle 10. The initiation,start, and/or completion of a sync may be performed with or without userinteraction using techniques described herein.

The bottle 10 may determine whether or not it needs to sync based onfluid consumption goals of the user. The user may set these goalsthemselves or they may be set automatically based on weight, gender,age, typical activity level of a person wearing the activity tracker 28.The bottle could use the type of goal to determine when it should sync.For example, if the user has a goal based on the ounces they desire todrink in a given day, the bottle may sync only when it detects that theuser consumed that amount of water. The criteria for meeting a goal mayalso be used by the device to determine when it should sync. Forexample, if a user's goal is to drink 64 ounces of water, the device maytry to sync when the user has reached 50%, 75%, and 100% of their goal.This would ensure that the user can see a reasonably precise measure ofthe progress to their goal on computing devices, portable communicationdevices, and/or web-based accounts associated with their device.

Bottle 10 may also sync based on when a user interacts with a remoteactivity tracker device 28 which displays synced data or data derivedfrom synced data. In one embodiment, a network server, bottle 10, sensor20 or some combination of the three may determine, based on historicaldata when the user views synced data or information derived from synceddata on their activity device 28 or smartphone 34. In one example, thebottle 10 may sync to the user's activity device 28 or smartphone 34every time the user wakes up their activity device 28 or smartphone 34from sleep mode or turns on their activity device 28 or smartphone 34.This would allow the user to see the most up to date information whenchecking their data on the activity device 28 or smartphone 34. Inanother example, if a user always checks their smart phone at lunch timeto see how much water they have drank that morning, the bottle 10 maylearn this habit and sync data immediately before the user's lunch timeso that the most up to date water consumption is displayed.

The bottle 10 may determine whether or not it needs to sync based on theactivity of the user. In one embodiment, for example, the bottle 10includes a motion sensor 20 configured (e.g., through a programmablesetting) to sync when the motion sensor detects that the user is activeand drinking from the bottle.

In a plurality of embodiments, bottle 10 is capable of changing thedevice identifier and/or owner identifier based on the device's intentto sync, a particularly useful feature in cases where a mobilecommunication device listens for and initiates sync operations solelybased on device or service unique identifiers. Typically, such a mobilecommunication device might initiate a sync whenever the sensor devicecame within range or stayed within range, thus potentially syncing morefrequently than desirable and consuming undue power. By enabling thesensor device to dynamically change its device, service or owneridentifier, however, and to set such identifier(s) to values recognizedby the mobile communication device only when new data is available tosync, the mobile communication device would only initiate a sync whennecessary, since the mobile communication device would only listen foridentifiers that indicated that the sensor device needed to sync. Thisoperation also enables the sensor device sync to co-exist and syncoptimally with other communications devices that could base theirdecisions to sync on using more information contained in a sensordevice's wireless packets.

The remote device 28 or smartphone 34 may communicate with bottle 10 vianetwork servers located on private networks or public networks such asthe Internet. Through an interface located on a server or acommunications device that may communicate with that server, a user maychange settings, data or behavior on or of a sensor device, for exampleby providing instructions to program or otherwise load configurationdata or settings into one or more configuration registers of the sensordevice. These changes may include but are not limited to parameters foralgorithms, time and alarm settings, personal biometric information(weight, height, age, gender, base metabolic rate, etc.), settings forthe user interface (which UI screens to show, what information to showon each screen, the order of screens, etc.). Once a change is made, thischange may be synced to a sensor device.

The term “sync” refers to the action of sending and/or receiving data toand/or from bottle 10 to a computing device 34 and/or remote activitytracking device 28 as seen in FIG. 3. “Sync” may also be used inreference to sending and/or receiving data to and/or from anothercomputing device or electronic storage devices including but not limitedto a personal computer, cloud based server, and database. In someembodiments, a sync from one electronic device to another may occurthrough the use of one or more intermediary electronic devices acting asa portal. For example, data from a bottle 10 may be transmitted to asmart phone that relays the data to a server. The data may then beviewed on other network/server-connected devices as shown in FIG. 3.

Some exemplary methods for use of bottle 10 may include a method fordisplaying fluid consumption by a human comprising the steps of:displaying data associated with a first amount of fluid within acommunicative bottle in a display; adjusting the amount of fluid in thecommunicative bottle by one of the following (a) dispensing fluid fromthe bottle and (b) adding fluid to the bottle; sensing the amount ofadjusted fluid with a first sensor to create data associated with asecond amount of fluid; and sending data associated with the secondamount of fluid to a remote device. This method may further include thesteps of receiving activity information of a person at the bottle from asecond sensor on the remote device; and adjusting the data associatedwith the first amount of fluid, based at least in part, on the activityinformation received from the sensor, and displaying data associatedwith a third amount of fluid in the display. Alternatively, thisexemplary method may include wherein the sensor is on a remote deviceand the activity information is associated with physical movement of aperson carrying the remote device. Alternatively, this exemplary methodmay include wherein the first sensor is integral to the communicativewater bottle. Further, this exemplary method may include the additionalsteps of displaying data associated with a third amount of fluid to beconsumed by a person contained in the bottle in the display; receivingactivity information of the person from a remote activity device; andadjusting the third amount of fluid to be consumed by the person based,at least in part, on the activity information received from the remoteactivity device, and displaying a second amount of fluid to be consumedin the display. Alternatively, this exemplary method may include whereinthe first sensor is a flow sensor and the activity information isdrinking the fluid by the person, and further comprise the steps of:sensing the difference between the second amount of fluid and the firstamount of fluid after the person has drank the fluid creatingconsumption data; transmitting the consumption data from thecommunicative bottle to the remote device selected from a groupcomprising a remote activity tracker and a mobile application executableon a smartphone. And, this exemplary method may include the steps ofsyncing the water bottle with the remote device based, at least in part,on the activity information obtained from the sensor, wherein the sensoris on the bottle.

In the foregoing description, certain terms have been used for brevity,clearness, and understanding. No unnecessary limitations are to beimplied therefrom beyond the requirement of the prior art because suchterms are used for descriptive purposes and are intended to be broadlyconstrued.

Moreover, the description and illustration of the preferred embodimentof the disclosure are an example and the disclosure is not limited tothe exact details shown or described.

What is claimed:
 1. A hydration system comprising: a bottle body havinga base and an upwardly extending sidewall therein defining a fluidchamber and a first display coupled to the bottle body; a sensordetermining one or more of the following an amount of fluid in the fluidchamber, an amount of fluid being dispensed from the fluid chamber, anda physical movement of the bottle body; fluid information logicelectronically coupled with the sensor creating digital data associatedwith fluid in the chamber; data transmission and reception logicconfigured to send the digital data to a remote device and receivedigital data from the remote device, wherein the data transmission andreception logic monitors wireless input sources for incoming wirelesspackets and analyzes any received packets in order to detect a source ofthe packet transmission and decide whether to sync the digital dataassociated with fluid in the chamber with the source of the packet;wherein the remote device is an electronic device executing a healthactivity tracker, the remote device including a second display thatdisplays information associated with one or more of the following: theamount of fluid in the chamber, the amount of fluid dispensed from thechamber, an amount of time since fluid was last dispensed from thechamber, an amount of fluid dispensed over a given time period, areminder notification if fluid has not been dispensed over a given timeperiod, a reminder to consume an adjusted amount of fluid based, atleast in part, on activity information obtained from the remote device;network connectivity electronically connecting the data transmission andreception logic and the remote device, wherein in the networkconnectivity is selected from a group comprising of: Bluetoothconnection, wireless internet connection, wired internet connection,internet, and 3G/4G connection; a record of information for a previousperiod at a fixed time interval, and the record of information isdisplayed in one of the first display and the second display; a caprepeatably attachable and detachable from the bottle body, and whereinthe sensor is carried by the cap; and cap sensor placement-specificalgorithms executed by the fluid information logic during the previousperiod to determine the one or more of the following the amount of fluidin the fluid chamber, the amount of fluid dispensed from the fluidchamber, the physical movement of the bottle body, the amount of timesince fluid was last dispensed from the chamber, the amount of fluiddispensed over a given time period, and the reminder notification iffluid has not been dispensed over a given time period; and adaptivefiltering logic executed during the previous period to cancel outexcessive movements of the cap.
 2. The hydration system of claim 1,further comprising: artificial intelligence configured to learn therecord of information to detect behavior signatures from the previousperiod, which is implemented to predict a likelihood of a subject hascertain activity levels at a present time.